The present invention relates generally to an improved floor treating apparatus, such as a power floor sweeping apparatus, having improved means for mounting and housing the floor treating member within the structure, with the apparatus particularly providing an improved housing arrangement which forms an enclosure for floor maintenance tools such as rotary brushes. This enclosure includes a fluid evacuation port which is in communication with a remote evacuated solid-air separation chamber, with baffle means being interposed between this fluid evacuation port and the floor exposing opening disposed at the base or bottom of the brush receiving enclosure. The apparatus further provides a mounting arrangement which permits the floor maintenance tool, such as a rotary cylindrical brush or broom, to be free-floating in its running contact with the working surface, and also provides for a significant reduction in the transfer of vibrational energy from the brush to the main frame.
Power driven floor treating apparatus such as power floor sweepers, as well as other maintenance tools such as polishing rolls for tile and cement floors, and carpet cleaning devices are in wide use. These devices find particular utility in cleaning of floors in commercial establishments, such as office buildings, factories, parking ramps and the like. Sweeping devices are normally employed for removal of dust, dirt, as well as other debris from the floor surfaces, these devices typically employing a rotary cylindrical brush which is adapted to move large items of debris from the floor or working surface into a debris receiving hopper. In order to reduce the amount of dust raised during the floor treating operation, the housing for the floor maintenance tool is normally vacuumized and sealed with flexible base seals so as to isolate the housing and provide for a controlled flow of dust-ladened air from the housing into a separation chamber with minimal dusting. The chamber is vacuumized, with a dust or solids-removing filter being interposed within the separation chamber at a point between the floor treating member housing and the vacuum exhaust. In order to reduce the quantity of dust being raised in the ambient, seal means are provided which assist in isolating the housing for the floor treating member from the ambient.
In the operation of a power floor sweeping device, typically the larger solids are moved or otherwise transferred from the floor surface into the solid debris receiving hopper. The lighter solids are normally entrained in the air, and are ultimately moved through the action of the vacuum system into a solids-air separation chamber. For proper operation of the device and for minimal dusting of the ambient, it would appear relatively simple to increase the capacity of the vacuum system and thus move a greater quantity of air and entrained solids therethrough. Regretably, however, as this capacity or volume is increased, more and larger solid particles are drawn to the vacuum system, and the filter becomes increasingly prone to clogging, with the dirt particles tending to cling to the surface of the filter. Therefore, most effective operation is achieved by utilizing other means for dust control, while maintaining the capacity or volume of air being moved through the vacuum system at a practical minimum, consistent with other operating parameters. By careful design of the chamber, and by careful selection of operating parameters, a practical balance may be achieved between operation of the vacuum system and minimizing both the volume of air being moved through the vacuum system, while minimizing dusting of the device to the ambient.
In the system of the present invention, a baffle system has been provided for the brush or maintenance tool enclosure which reduces dusting tendencies, and renders it possible to operate a power sweeping apparatus utilizing a minimal quantity or volume of air in the solids-air separation portion of the system, with one or more baffles being provided.
In the normal operation and servicing of floor treating apparatus, particularly floor sweeping devices employing a rotating cylindrical brush, it is frequently necessary to remove the brush from the assembly. In certain devices of this type, brush removal is achieved only with a certain degree of difficulty, however in one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, a structure is provided permitting removal of the floor treating member from the assembly with relative ease.
As has been indicated, rotation of the floor treating member is required in order to achieve the desired results, with rotation of the cylindrical brush being necessary for removing debris from the floor surface. At the present time, most floor treating devices employ a mounting system for the brush or other implement which is at a fixed elevation relative to the working surface. In accordance with one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, however, the floor maintenance tool or implement is arranged to be free-floating in its running contact with that surface, thus providing for enhanced treatment. One feature of such a mounting arrangement is that the peripheral surface of the rotary brush may be maintained at a relatively constant distance from the surface of the baffle means which is arranged across the extent of the brush retaining enclosure. Also, the floor treating member or implement in the form of a cylindrical brush is mounted within an assembly which is suspended from the main frame by a resilient, flexible, but non-stretchable web, this web partially absorbing and thus impeding the transfer of certain vibrational energy from the floor treating member to the main frame. It has been found that this impedance of transfer of energy from the floor treating member is desirable for the operator.